For the next couple of weeks we'll be studying Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. So, to get started, have a look through the Sir Gawain section of the website. If you do not have your own copy of Burton Raffel's translation, you will use the PDF copy of the book, which is divided into two sections:

Part I: (Fits 1 and 2) in PDF -- for Thursday
Part II: (Fits 3 and 4) in PDF -- for next Monday

The following are the other downloads you'll need this week:

1. Introduction to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
2. Sir Gawain Literary Response Journal (LRJ) prompts

For Thursday
Read Part I: (Fits 1 and 2) for Quiz
Complete LRJ prompt #1: Man of Moeller Code of Conduct

Upcoming PSAT
In preparation for the upcoming PSAT in mid-October, we'll be reviewing several of the English sections so that you can brush up on grammar, word usage, punctuation, and sentence structure.

You may wish to check out the Resources section of this website, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and explore the SAT Preparation links. The PSAT is very, very similar to the SAT.

You have another opportunity to receive extra credit, but first...

Today in class
En route to getting extra credit, you will need to complete a first draft of an opinion article that responds to one of the two prompts below. This draft (a WORD document) will be dropboxxed at the end of class today. This draft is worth 20 points.

Extra credit
In order to receive extra credit, you must revise your article and get it into publishable form to submit to The Crusader. You will receive 10 points extra credit if you submit a revised, polished version by Tuesday (before beginning of class). Opinion articles that are chosen for publication in the Fall issue of The Crusader will receive 50 extra credit points (rather than 10)

Your assignment
Word count: 350-550 words

Prompt: This summer, Moeller High School's technology department installed 40 new survellaince cameras for $42,000 (this is a dummy figure that will need to be changed). This surveillance system replaced an old system whose cameras were no longer functional. The project was motivated in part by a rash af after-school thefts in classrooms and locker rooms last year. Your opinion article should defend or challenge the following claim:

Given the rash of thefts in the school building, Moeller's IT department is justified in spending $42,000 on cameras that will be watching the movements of everyone in the building 24-hours a day.

Some issues to consider: Should Moeller students be watched every moment they're in the building? How else might the camera footage be used? Is this an invasion of privacy? What are possible abuses? How else might this money have been spent?

Note: This is an issue that has come up in schools all across the U.S. You are free to search for any related news stories that might help you back up your opinion piece.

Tips on Writing an Effective Opinion Piece
You are NOT writing a five paragraph essay. Your opinion article can take any form you wish, but the guidelines below provide you with some direction about what makes an effective piece of writing.

I. Introduction
- Gains readers’ attention and interest
- Establishes your qualifications to write about your topic
- Established some common ground with your audience
- Demonstrates that you are fair and even-handed
- States your claim about the prompt

2. Background
-Presents any necessary information, including personal narrative, that’s important to your argument (may also include info from cases at other schools)

3. Lines of Argument
- Presents good reasons, including logical and emotional appeals, in support of your claim

4. Alternative Arguments 
- Examines alternative points of view and/or opposing arguments
- Notes advantages and disadvantages of these views
- Explains why your view is better than others

5. Conclusion
- Summarizes the argument
- Elaborates on the implications of your claim
-Makes clear what you want the audience to think or do
-Reinforces your credibility

Type it up and dropbox your article (with your name and a title on it) by the end of class.

For extra credit: Revise and/or develop it and dropbox the revision by next Tuesday.

Every year I ask my juniors the hypothetical question: If you were given a full-ride, four-year scholarship to use at any university, where would it be and what would you study?

Here are the results of the survey in order of popularity. The number listed represents the number of students who listed the college as their first choice:

6 Stanford University (Paolo Alto CA)
5 Harvard University (Cambridge MA)
4 University of Notre Dame (South Bend IN)
4 University of Dayton (Dayton OH)
3 The Ohio State University (Columbus OH)
2 University of Oregon (Eugene OR)
2 U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs CO)
2 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge MA)
1 Columbia University (New York NY)
1 Dartmouth College (Hanover NH)
1 Duke University (Durham NC)
1 University of Florida (Gainesville FL)
1 Northwestern University (Evanston IL)
1 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy NY)
1 UCLA (Los Angeles CA)
1 College of Charleston (Charleston SC)
1 Case-Western Reserve (Cleveland OH)
1 University of Northwestern Ohio (Lima OH)
1 DePauw University (Greencastle IN)
1 Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore MD)
1 Texas A&M
1 Xavier University (Cincinnati OH)
1 Miami University (Oxford OH)